Shaded terms for chapter one

What are “shaded terms”? These are the terms that you may not use on a daily basis, but if you want to get the most out of this book, they are terms you’ll want to know. Here is list of the terms that will be mentioned in the introduction and first chapter.

Technological convergence: the tendency of different technology systems to evolve toward performing similar tasks.

Literacy: theability to read and write, as well as think about the written word. Digital media literacy extends this to all digital media and adds the ability to find, create, analyze, distribute and use content.

The Knight Foundation: a foundation that supports journalism excellence and advances media innovation, community engagement and the arts.

Innovator: someone who creates a new or better product, process or idea.

Ecosystem: a community of living organisms interacting with nonliving things in its environment.

Cyberspace: the computer-based network environment.

Extrapolate: to guess at something that is unknown by using information that is known.

Credibility: The trustworthiness of something based on its source, appearance or other factors.

Journalism: the independent verification and clarification of recent events or previously unknown information of public interest, distributed to a community for its benefit. Definitions of journalism often emphasize its role in self-government.

News: Current events or previously unknown information of public interest.

Information: Knowledge, facts or data.

Singularity: In technological terms, the creation of self-aware digital super-intelligence either separate from or combined with humans.

Some of the shaded terms are in the text; others are in the Learning Layer; still others are in the source material linked to from the book. This list helps define them, wherever they are found.